Last semester, Elizabethtown College temporarily suspended the overnight program so that a new program could be developed. They hoped to put a program together that better supported and identified with the College’s values. The goal of the overnight program is to provide prospective students with a real-life college experience.
The program gives prospective students the opportunity to spend the night in a residence hall, attend classes, eat in the Marketplace and experience other on-campus activities such as an Office of Student Activities (OSA) event, an athletic game or a club or organization’s meeting.
Paul Cramer, vice president for enrollment, facilitated a workgroup made up of faculty and staff from admissions, athletics and student life to develop a new program that closely considers the safety of the guest, host and College, while meeting the overall goal. Last year, the College hosted over 200 overnight guests. Half of those prospective students who took part in the overnight program chose to attend Etown this past fall. It is said that an overnight visit to campus pushes Etown higher up on a prospective student’s list of colleges.
“The program was revised to enhance the safety of the guest, the host and the institution. Many of the positive attributes of the old program are still in place, such as a connection with a current student who has similar interests and goals, connections with faculty and staff through a classroom setting and individual meetings. The College also formalized the process to allow for a more consistent experience for the student and a more assessable program for the institution,” Cramer said.
The overnight coordinators, who are Etown students, provide the prospective students with the most informative visit possible. In order to host an overnight, Etown students must attend a formalized training that focuses more on safety. Overnight hosts should do everything they would typically do at Etown, and should remember to stay on campus, avoiding settings in which drugs and alcohol are being utilized. If an Etown student were caught breaking the overnight program contract, “The Etown student would be subject to review under the College’s student code of conduct and drug and alcohol policy. The prospective student would be subject to review, and the College could potentially rescind its offer of admission and/or merit scholarship,” Cramer said.
The Office of Admissions is also continuing the ‘Experience Elizabethtown’ program, which took the place of the overnight program last semester. This program is an intensive day visit that includes everything an overnight visit offers except that the prospective student leaves at the end of the day instead of staying the night on campus.
According to Cramer, the overnight program is in need of hosts. Etown students are the most credible sources of information prospective students have in making their college decision. Please contact the Office of Admissions to get involved with the program. Students on any type of probation, who have had prior issues with overnight hosting or who live in the Schreiber Quads will not be selected as overnight hosts. The Office of Admissions will offer qualified students who are interested in becoming an overnight host training sessions throughout the upcoming semester.
